Irish educator disciplined for misusing transgender student's pronouns, reports say
A Christian educator was let go from their position and spent more than 500 days incarcerated after denying a request to address a transgender student using the pronoun 'they.' Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Enoch Burke, an Irish schoolteacher, faced dismissal and has spent over 500 days in prison after refusing to use ‘they’ instead of ‘he’ when addressing a transgender student, citing his Christian beliefs. According to The Irish Times, he may now face the loss of his salary.
Previously a history and German teacher at Wilson’s Hospital School in County Westmeath, Burke has been embroiled in a prolonged legal and ethical conflict since 2022. His suspension followed his opposition to the school principal’s request to refer to a ‘transitioning’ student using a new name and the pronoun “they.”
The High Court of Ireland is set to hear a request to appoint a receiver to recover unpaid fines from Burke’s salary. If the request is granted, authorities could collect €79,100, which he has accrued through daily €700 fines for his noncompliance with court orders prohibiting him from appearing at Wilson’s Hospital School.
With an evangelical Christian background, Burke has repeatedly defied a court order that barred him from entering school grounds. “I teach everyone who’s in front of me. I teach every single student,” Burke stated to SkyNews last year. “But when I am commanded, when I’m told that I can’t have my religious belief anymore, when I’m told I have to confess belief in transgenderism, instead of my simple belief, which is male and female, that’s just a breach simply of my rights.”
In May 2022, although suspended with full pay pending an investigation into alleged misconduct, Burke continued to go to the school, which led to his imprisonment for contempt of court in September 2022. So far, he has served 512 days in jail over three separate periods due to violations of court orders.
Despite his dismissal from the school, Burke is still receiving his salary during his administrative leave while he appeals his termination. Recently, Justice David Nolan increased Burke’s daily fine to €1,400 after it was discovered that he had entered the school via a student entrance and attempted to join a school assembly.
Nolan estimated that Burke owes approximately €190,000 due to the daily €700 fine imposed on him in January 2023. Burke has claimed that the courts have failed to acknowledge his constitutional right to religious freedom, stating that these rights were compromised when he was asked to refer to a student with they/them pronouns.
As noted on its website, “Wilson’s Hospital School is, to this day, a place where true love of knowledge makes all study a discovery and joy. Our school maintains a distinctive Church of Ireland ethos, fostering Christian practice and teaching, promoting dignity and respect for the individual and committed to the provision of a caring family atmosphere in which education can flourish.”
Alejandro Jose Martinez for TROIB News
Previously a history and German teacher at Wilson’s Hospital School in County Westmeath, Burke has been embroiled in a prolonged legal and ethical conflict since 2022. His suspension followed his opposition to the school principal’s request to refer to a ‘transitioning’ student using a new name and the pronoun “they.”
The High Court of Ireland is set to hear a request to appoint a receiver to recover unpaid fines from Burke’s salary. If the request is granted, authorities could collect €79,100, which he has accrued through daily €700 fines for his noncompliance with court orders prohibiting him from appearing at Wilson’s Hospital School.
With an evangelical Christian background, Burke has repeatedly defied a court order that barred him from entering school grounds. “I teach everyone who’s in front of me. I teach every single student,” Burke stated to SkyNews last year. “But when I am commanded, when I’m told that I can’t have my religious belief anymore, when I’m told I have to confess belief in transgenderism, instead of my simple belief, which is male and female, that’s just a breach simply of my rights.”
In May 2022, although suspended with full pay pending an investigation into alleged misconduct, Burke continued to go to the school, which led to his imprisonment for contempt of court in September 2022. So far, he has served 512 days in jail over three separate periods due to violations of court orders.
Despite his dismissal from the school, Burke is still receiving his salary during his administrative leave while he appeals his termination. Recently, Justice David Nolan increased Burke’s daily fine to €1,400 after it was discovered that he had entered the school via a student entrance and attempted to join a school assembly.
Nolan estimated that Burke owes approximately €190,000 due to the daily €700 fine imposed on him in January 2023. Burke has claimed that the courts have failed to acknowledge his constitutional right to religious freedom, stating that these rights were compromised when he was asked to refer to a student with they/them pronouns.
As noted on its website, “Wilson’s Hospital School is, to this day, a place where true love of knowledge makes all study a discovery and joy. Our school maintains a distinctive Church of Ireland ethos, fostering Christian practice and teaching, promoting dignity and respect for the individual and committed to the provision of a caring family atmosphere in which education can flourish.”
Alejandro Jose Martinez for TROIB News
